World Cup LD

[Lee]

As a Brit asking who to support on Sunday's final between Argentina and Germany should be an interesting one.

 

[Барбоса]

Why was a centre half taking Holland's first penalty? Madness.

 

[Dan Severn's Moustache]

Why was a centre half taking Holland's first penalty? Madness.

Don't you DARE question Van Gaal! He's a genius!!!

 

[Барбоса]

As a Brit asking who to support on Sunday's final between Argentina and Germany should be an interesting one.

As a football fan, I want the better team to win and that is ze Germans.

 

[Dan Severn's Moustache]

Really though, I feel people are being too harsh to Argentina. They DO have other players that have delivered such as Garay, Romero, Mascherano, among others. In fact, Messi really hasn't contributed a massive amount since the group stages have come and gone.

With that said, I do want Germany to win.

 

[Барбоса]

I'm with Martin O'Neil that Van Gaal's ploy with Krul as the penalty specialist might not have helped Cillessen. He should have saved Aguero's and perhaps Maxi's too.

 

[FunKay the Inevitable]

Really though, I feel people are being too harsh to Argentina. They DO have other players that have delivered such as Garay, Romero, Mascherano, among others. In fact, Messi really hasn't contributed a massive amount since the group stages have come and gone.

I cannot think of a single save he's had to make in open play. No, seriously, not one. I'm not saying he hasn't, but I cannot think of anything he's had to do.

Mascherano had a good game today, but when you have the most lethal attack force in the tournament and a centre back, a defensive midfielder and the keeper are the players provided as examples of players who deliver for them, I think that's telling.

I sincerely hope Germany crush them and throw them into the wind, which naturally means Argentina will go and squeeze a 1-0 win out now...

 

[Dan Severn's Moustache]

I cannot think of a single save he's had to make. No, seriously, not one. I'm not saying he hasn't, but I cannot think of anything he's had to do.

Mascherano had a good game today, but when you have the most lethal attack force in the tournament and a centre back, a defensive midfielder and the keeper are the players provided as examples of players who deliver for them, I think that's telling.

I sincerely hope Germany crush them and throw them into the wind, which naturally means Argentina will go and squeeze a 1-0 win out now...

The solid demonstration in the penalties should be enough to sway you that Romero put on a good performance today.

Remember that Di Maria is injured, which is why I didn't mention him. Otherwise, you do have a fair point, although Aguero has been shit this tournament.

With that said, I do hope Germany win. Not because Argentina play an arguably boring game, but Germany are the better team defensively and offensively.

 

[FunKay the Inevitable]

The solid demonstration in the penalties should be enough to sway you that Romero put on a good performance today.

Remember that Di Maria is injured, which is why I didn't mention him. Otherwise, you do have a fair point, although Aguero has been shit this tournament.

With that said, I do hope Germany win. They are the better team defensively and offensively.

Saving two penalties does not equal a great tournament, performance or anything else. He hasn't been tested in 90 minutes or even 120.

And Di Maria had one half decent game...until he got injured. He's like Argentina's Wayne Rooney.

 

[Dan Severn's Moustache]

Saving two penalties does not equal a great tournament, performance or anything else. He hasn't been tested in 90 minutes or even 120.

And Di Maria had one half decent game...until he got injured. He's like Argentina's Wayne Rooney.

Holland only had 3 shots on target as opposed to Argentina's 5, which does correlate with what you are saying. I will admit that some of my judgement is based off Argentina's clean sheets in this stage of the competition as opposed to their defensive prowess. I guess we can safely agree that Neuer is the better keeper coming into the final by some distance.

I'd say a goal is worth more than half decent.

 

[Барбоса]

In terms of overall form, Di Maria's goal against Switzerland does not make up for the fact that he was absolutely dire in that game and has been not much better throughout the entire tournament.

 

[Alastor]

Any team with Messi has a chance in my opinion.
Mascherano is insanely good too. He is probably their best player so far.

The Dutch punched above their weight so they should be proud of their showing.

 

[Gelgarin]

A number of the games Di Maria has been flagged as being shit in haven't actually featured him being shit; they've featured him being proactive and looking shit as a result of it.

 

[Барбоса]

I'll give Di Maria that - he did not give up and was in a position to put his team through but that does not hide how he ran around like a headless chicken, gave the ball away at every opportunity and couldn't hit a barn door for 117mins.

Although he has by no means been the most disappointing player in the tournament. Indeed, the standard of teams in the tournament has been pretty low throughout - defending in particular has been subpar, which has made for exciting games.

 

[Dan Severn's Moustache]

Who would you say has put on THE most disappointing performance? I'd have to go with Hazard myself.

 

[Барбоса]

Yeah, I went with Hazard earlier in this thread and I don't think I have seen anything to change that.

He just did not seem at all interested.

 

[Gelgarin]

Van Gaal has been drawing comparisons to Mourinho from all quarters this world cup, whether it be for being a tactical genus, a boring promoter or non-football or a raging egomaniac.

All the above may be true for both men, but I'll say this. I don't believe for a second that Mourinho would have thrown his players under the bus the way Van Gaal has with his ridiculous "My guys refused to take penalties and I taught the opposing goalkeeper how to save them" nonsense.

Jose's egotist shtick has always (at least recently) been focused on taking attention away from his players and putting it onto himself; not in provoking media with-hunts against his team in the name of self promotion. Van Gaal can fuck off.

There; a logical justification for why I'm going to love one of them and hate the other.

 

[FunKay the Inevitable]

He just did not seem at all interested.

He pretty much represented what was wrong with that Belgian team; lazy, uninterested and deeply, deeply dissapointing.

 

[Барбоса]

Yeah, Van Gaal's press conference just screamed "It wasn't my fault, and if it was, it is because I have been too good at my job in the past."

We can be allowed to think that the sudden failure of his team's nerve to step up to the plate had anything to do with him as their leader or that his undermining of Cillessen in the quarter final might have played some part in him failing to save any of the penalties.

Clearly, he is a good coach but with such a "take the plaudits when things go well and pass the buck when they don't" attitude it is hardly surprising that he has not stayed in the job for all that long, despite being so good.

 

[Барбоса]

He pretty much represented what was wrong with that Belgian team; lazy, uninterested and deeply, deeply dissapointing.

They played like the team they were 10 years ago - an also ran, just happy to get out of the group.

Now, with the good squad they have, they should have been far more proactive in taking the game to their opponents. They have very solid, if unbalanced, defence so they could have risked a bit more urgency and pace about their team.

Indeed, Argentina were there for the taking (and have been throughout the tournament) but they refused to go for the jugular.

Unfortunately, it can take time to get out of a national identity and for long periods Belgium played like they did not truly believe that they had gotten any better. They could quite easily end up going down the route of England and their so-called Golden Generation and fail to overcome previous psychological scarring.

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

or that his undermining of Cillessen in the quarter final might have played some part in him failing to save any of the penalties.

Cillessen never saved penaltie in his life. Ever. If its Van Gaals fault it is because he didnt put Krul again...

I think he thought that somehow they will win in overtime. So that overlap probably costed him game...

 

[Барбоса]

Until the shootout against Costa Rica, Krul had saved two from twenty. Hardly a great ratio. Once he had subbed the keeper the first time, he should have been doing it the second time; otherwise it either looks completely pointless or an undermining of his seeming first choice keeper.

The point I was making though was that Van Gaal wants all of the glory and none of the blame even though it is just as easy to invent reasons for him getting both.

 

[Lee]

At Senior level. For reserves and under 18 Krul actually has a good record of saving in a penalty shootout environment. Senior level he's never experienced it. A shootout is quite different to during a match.

 

[Барбоса]

Another nice comparison between Van Gaal and Mourinho overnight with the former talking about wanting to finish the World Cup unbeaten. That is really the worst kind of statistical manipulation.

Mourinho said something similar about Chelsea against Barcelona in the Champions League, going out on away goals on a couple of occasions, one of which only happened when Lampard scored a last minute penalty, and then talking about how his team had never been beaten by Barca.

Technically correct but ultimately completely useless. If you were really unbeaten, you'd still be in the competition.

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

It seems like Van Gaal is drawing focus onto himself rather than his players which is a tactic I can understand when a team with lofty expectations has fallen short. However, pre-tournament not many people thought Holland would do very well or even get out of their group but they have far exceeded those initial expectations with a largely inexperienced squad.

So while I can understand what Van Gaal is doing and why he feels the need to do it, on the other hand it would be nice if he had gone the other direction and praise the players for how far they progressed. Maybe he just doesn't want to use his player's capabilities (or lack thereof) as an excuse?

One more game and then he can start kicking some United backsides into shape again.